This Naruto is too easily persuaded.

In the early morning, a ray of sunlight shone on Naruto's face.

As the alarm clock rang, he lazily yawned.

Naruto stayed up too late training yesterday, which is unusual for him today as he failed to complete the E-rank mission "Health Preservation".

Naruto then stretched his body and felt that the presence of the [Turtle Hermit Style Weighted Bracers] had decreased considerably.

Without realizing it, he had become somewhat accustomed to the weight, as if it had become a part of his body.

"call……"

Naruto let out a long breath.

Then he began practicing total concentration breathing.

As a large amount of air rushed into my lungs, the fatigue of the night was quickly dispelled, and I felt much more energetic.

"The power of Wind Release: Great Breakthrough is sufficient, but the preparation time is too long and the commotion is too great."

Naruto put on his glasses and began to analyze.

"In real-world scenarios like monthly exams, it can only be used as a last resort, and it's difficult to use it as a regular tactic."

With this thought in mind, Naruto summoned the system interface.

The C-grade treasure chest obtained after mastering tree climbing and ninjutsu is quietly floating there.

"Activate!"

Naruto silently recited in his heart.

[Rank C treasure chest is being opened...]

[Gain passive skill: General Feat - Dexterity]

[Description: Your hands have been blessed by the god of wanderers, greatly enhancing your finger dexterity and making your hand joints more flexible.]

[Effect: Hand seal speed increased by 50%, throwing tool accuracy increased by 20%, and theft success rate increased by 100%]

"Skilled hands?"

Naruto paused for a moment, then tried to move his fingers.

An unprecedented smoothness came over me.

The awkward feeling of my fingers getting tangled up when I used to form hand seals has completely disappeared.

It was as if the invisible shackles between the fingers had been unlocked, and the hand seal commands sent by the ten fingers to the brain were responded to with incredible speed and precision.

"Give it a try."

Naruto got a little serious and started experimenting with the three hand seals of Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.

戌—午—酉.

Brush brush!

The afterimage flashed by.

Almost the instant the thought arose, his hands completed the hand seals, so fast that even Naruto himself was startled.

"So fast!"

Naruto looked at his hands, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

If combined with the reaction speed provided by breathing techniques, and the hand seal speed brought by "skillful hands"...

He could easily create distance during the gap in their physical combat and unleash a close-range Wind Release attack!

"Sasuke, you're in for a world of trouble."

Naruto pushed up his glasses, a slight smile playing on his lips.

His mind was now filled with nothing but beating Sasuke a good beating, dragging him out of the darkness, and incidentally...

Get another Grade B treasure chest!

……

When Naruto walked into the classroom again with unhurried steps.

He could clearly feel that the gaze that had been fixed on him now carried a complex and incomprehensible emotion.

There was curiosity, doubt, and even a hint of... apprehension.

The news that he punched Kiba Inuzuka yesterday has already spread.

Kiba Inuzuka may be loud and boisterous, but his actual combat skills are among the top five in the class.

If Naruto was able to kill him instantly, doesn't that mean... I probably can't beat him?

This is unbelievable to many people.

Naruto ignored these stares.

He recalled Aizen's words: Only the weak are swayed by the opinions of others.

True strength lies in making the world adapt to its rhythm.

These complex emotions were merely embellishments on his path to becoming stronger.

So Naruto ignored other people's feelings towards him and went straight to his seat.

As he passed Hinata Hyuga.

Hinata's fair neck flushed red at a visible speed, and her little head was almost buried in her desk.

And it was only her attitude towards herself that remained almost unchanged.

Naruto thought to himself.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the classroom, Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka were still engaged in their daily battle over who could sit next to Sasuke.

Completely undisturbed by the outside world, isn't that a kind of deep affection?

As soon as Naruto sat down, Shikamaru Nara glanced at him lazily and yawned.

"You've really made a name for yourself."

"Naruto, you're getting stronger and stronger lately. Want some potato chips?"

Choji said from the side.

Naruto greeted the two of them.

And Shikamaru and Choji, their attitudes toward him have never changed.

In addition, there's Iruka-sensei, the third-generation grandfather, and the old man who does manual labor...

It turns out that there were still quite a few people who cared about themselves in the past.

Naruto felt a warmth in his heart.

He took out his book and continued his in-depth reading.

The bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class.

The atmosphere in the classroom immediately relaxed as soon as Iruka left.

Sasuke Uchiha, who had always been as cold and aloof as an iceberg, walked up to Naruto and stood there.

After standing there for a moment, he realized that Naruto was too focused to notice him at all.

Slightly embarrassed, Sasuke tapped on the table in front of Naruto.

"Hey, you bottom-of-the-barrel guy."

He began to speak.

Naruto looked up at Sasuke, then closed the book in his hand.

With that practiced smile still on her face, she calmly raised her head to meet his gaze:

"Sasuke-kun, is something the matter?"

Sasuke frowned almost imperceptibly.

Naruto's calm reaction was something that made him somewhat uncomfortable.

How does a person undergo such a dramatic change?

"You didn't go all out in yesterday's practical lesson, did you?"

Sasuke looked into Naruto's eyes. "You're wearing... weights!"

Naruto maintained his fake smile and said, "Yes."

He readily admitted it.

This reaction was completely unexpected by Sasuke.

He always thought Naruto was secretly practicing so that he could shock everyone in the end.

They even used surprise attacks to defeat themselves during monthly exams.

His current warning is intended to expose his ulterior motives.

But things have turned out completely unexpectedly.

"Do you think you can close the gap between us just by adding some weights and extra training?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth, staring intently at Naruto's reaction.

"I don't think that's enough. Alright, Sasuke, I'm going to continue studying now."

After Naruto finished speaking, he ignored Sasuke beside him and continued reading.

This guy...

Sasuke looked at Naruto, who didn't take him seriously at all.

What gave him the confidence to ignore me?

Sasuke felt inexplicably annoyed by Naruto's antics.

Damn it, the monthly exam will show you that the pride of the Uchiha clan is not something a loser like you can challenge.

Sasuke returned to his seat dejectedly.

……

After school, at the third training ground.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Another wind-escape technique, like an air cannon, struck the lake surface.

The immense wind pressure struck the lake surface, and amidst the deafening roar, a rainbow appeared amidst the swirling water.

Naruto smiled as he witnessed the power of the ninjutsu.

"This ninjutsu is enough to bridge the gap between us, isn't it?"

Pop, pop, pop.

A round of applause came from the side.

Naruto's smile remained unchanged as he turned around, as if he had expected it.